2008 Acrobat Pinot Gris King Estate

My last sample from the fine folks at King Estate was the 2008 Acrobat Pinot Gris and my pick for this weeks Wine Wednesday. Excellent crisp white wine and not surprised this is award winning.

Nice aroma on this white with pear in the beginning. Orange citrus, slight hint of grapefruit in the second sniff. Third fresh lemon/melon and pineapple. Tons of fruit on the nose. Swirl and smell I'm excited to taste.

Excellent flavor from start to finish with a nice lemon citrus complimented by pear. Orange (winemaker says tangerine) and pineapple in the middle. Finish gave me melon and mineral. Refreshing and very light. I really enjoyed this wine and Acrobat has a new fan. I'll keep this on hand for my friends.

Thank you King Estate for introducing me to your award winning wines.

Cheers
Dan

Tasselridge Chardonnay

Earlier I participated in the United Slurps of America-Iowa tasting and along with my samples was this beauty from Derek and the folks at Tasselridge. Tasty Chardonnay is how I will describe this wine.

In the glass my first aroma was a pear/citrus combination followed by a hint of grapefruit. Finally the apple and slight oak rounded out my smells. Typical characteristics of chardonnay in my opinion so it must be good right?

Nice wine. Apple throughout each taste, crisp and refreshing. Middle of the wine I get a nice vanilla flavor and the wine finishes with a little hint of oak. I assume this is an excellent selling wine for them expecially with summer fast approaching here in Iowa. Thank you Tasselridge for an excellent Chardonnay.

Cheers
Dan

2007 NxNW Syrah Columbia Valley

Wine Wednesday, hump day, mid-week whatever you prefer to call it just enjoy a bottle of the grape juice. Tonight was my sample from NxNW (North By Northwest) the 2007 Columbia Valley Syrah. NxNW in Walla Walla Washington, offers great selections of wine and this one follows suit.

In the glass a very deep purple color and my first smell gave me a cherry/grape/jam aroma. Second a hint of cedar, followed by a faint smell of chocolate (the chocolate fooled me as I thought my sense of smell was playing tricks on me). Chocolate and wine let's taste this baby.

Nice juicy cherry flavor on this one from start to finish. Middle towards end the earthy characteristic of the wine came forward. I did not taste any of the blueberry as the tasting notes state but that's why tasting is so fun because each of us has a different palate. Very smooth wine with so much flavor. Another awesome wine from the folks at NxNW.

Cheers
Dan

2008 Selene Sauvignon Blanc

Tonight we had grilled shrimp with butter and garlic lightly brushed while cooking so naturally I opened my fine sample from Selene Wines the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. Great wine and an excellent pairing for tonights dinner. Just love wines from the Carneros appelation of Napa.

What do we know about Selene Wines? Mia Klein the winemaker produces hand-crafted Napa Valley wines and Selene is her own label started in 1991. Selene Wines are made at the Laird Family Estate, a Napa custom crush facility utilized by folks like Mia. Selene currently produces 6 very wonderfully good wines the Sauv Blanc, 2 Cabernets, 1 Red Blend, 1 Merlot and 1 Rose. To read more about Mia and Selene wines I encourage you to check out their website at  http://www.selenewines.com/welcome.html

Wonderful aroma coming from my glass starting with an orange/tangerine citrus (per the tasting notes it's nectarine so yes I was close on the citrus piece although I swear there is orange). Next a nice combo of peach/pear and fresh melon while finishing with a hint of lemon. The fruit aromas marry together so perfectly neither of which is overpowering.

Yes I label this as "A Sauvignon Blanc to die for" and a must for all sauv blanc wine lovers. The nectarine starts the mouth tingling with excitement. Second the peach/melon combo and hint of pear compliment the citrus of the lemon. Slight hint of vanilla at the end. So much great fruit in this wine and the flavor literally explodes in your mouth. Mia any chance you could make me and endless bottle of this beauty?

Thank you Tracy for the samples and introducing me to Selene Wines. Thank you Mia for your winemaking creativity. Outstanding wine.

Cheers
Dan

2006 Archery Summit Estate Pinot Noir Dundee Hills

What better day to taste this excellent sample from Archery Summit than Wine Wednesday. I had this sample far too long and enjoy these wines too much to let them age (yes I know they get better over time but hey live for the moment).

I've given you the backround on an earlier post about the winery and I hope you had a chance to browse their website for additional details. I love the aroma of this wine. Huge cherry aroma first in the glass. Almost as if I stuck my nose in a bowl of cherries freshly picked. Little earth comes next. How about fresh cut rose petals towards the middle. Finally some raspberry spice at then end. After all those wonderful aromas is it even possible to not enjoy this wine? The most complex Pinot I have smelled or tasted to date.

The wine blows me away! Black cherry juicy and ripe. Vanilla almond followed by raspberry. Nice cola, leather and earthy finish. Very full flavored yet silky. One seriously excellent Pinot Noir. There is a reason why these folks produce top Pinots in Oregon. Thank you to Chris Nagy for providing the samples for review. Winemaker Anna Matzinger thank you for producing awesome wine.  Fans of Archery Summit must try this Estate Pinot and spoil yourselves.

Cheers

Dan

Friday Wine Taste

It was a fun night to taste a couple wines after work to kick the weekend off. Both Cartlidge & Browne and Hahn Estates make excellent wine.

Some folks started with the Cartlidge & Browne 2008 Pinot Noir. This wine has a tendancey to sell out quickly so glad we had a chance to taste. Cherry and spice were the aromas in this Pinot. Flavor was juicy cherry and finished with spice. Nice smooth Pinot Noir which is a characteristic of Cartlidge & Browne wines. I would like to hold onto a bottle and try this next year. I think it will be even better.

2nd wine was the 2007 Hahn Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Central Coast. Definately a full (my first comment was bold) flavored wine. Blackberry and raspberry aromas in this Cab. Blackberry, a hint of vanilla and raspberry are the flavors I identified. Very dry Cabernet but very good.

Quick little tasting but another good one.

Cheers
Dan

2007 NxNW Cabernet Sauvignon

April 1st usually a day to trick your friends and neighbors playing mindless practicle jokes on each other. I chose the day to participate in a twitter taste on wine blends (trust me I was in full glory during the day. Do you know how much fun one can have with an electronic fart machine). The wine I chose was a sample sent to me by the fine folks at North By Northwest Winery in Walla Walla Washington.

North By Northwest wine is created from the grape growing regions of the Columbia River Basin in Washington and Oregon. Each vineyard with a unique name (Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills, Elephant Mountain, Wallula) and story describing the area can be found on their site http://www.nxnwwine.com/vineyards/. Even on the bottle the folks identify what percent of grapes come from each vineyard, the day the grapes were harvested, the blend percentage making up the wine and the aging in oak barrels. Cool label.
I opened the wine about 35 minutes before I was ready to drink just assuming the wine needed to breathe. Made up of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, I found this wine very smooth and each taste I fell more in love wanting the bottle to be endless. Dark cherry hit my nose first and as I continued on spice, along with oak were present. Deep red/maroon color this wine looks rich.

While not overpowering an excellent tasting dark cherry flavor right at the beginning. Hint of plum but right after a quick ( I had to verify and I was wrong) what I will describe as a short creamy caramel ( I thought it was butterscotch) sensation. Spice and oak round out the flavors towards the end. Full flavored yet very smooth for a Cabernet. I am extremely impressed with this wine. I hope this is one of the wines the Wine Bloggers Conference participants http://winebloggersconference.org/america/ have a chance to taste and enjoy as well.

Cheers
Dan